Whether it’s getting alcohol delivered to our doors or addressing hazardous wakes hitting Tybee’s shores, our community’s future is continuously up for debate. This column is intended to provide an easily accessible preview of what could be ahead.
Stay Engaged Savannah,
Eric Curl (Jan. 22, 2022)
Week Ahead
The Chatham Area Transit Authority is meeting Tuesday.
While not specifying any date or schedule, CAT officials are planning for a future TSPLOST referendum after voters rejected the proposed 1% sales tax for transportation related projects last year, according to the agenda.
The board will consider adopting a proposed TSPLOST project list that includes funding for electric vehicles, charging infrastructure and bus shelter upgrades. The vote is also to authorize CEO Faye DiMassimo to coordinate the potential funding with Chatham County and city leaders.
“As the potential for a future TSPLOST opportunity is considered, the proposed list provides a foundation for discussion,” the agenda states.
The 2022 TSPLOST referendum was defeated by a margin of only about 1,400 votes, or less than 2%, out of about 103,000 votes in November last year, according to the Board of Elections summary report. (Editor’s note: This article has been updated after an incorrect percentage and vote total was initially reported.)
The vote came about 10 years after voters rejected a regional TSPLOST measure, which, unlike last year’s proposal, required approval from residents of neighboring counties.
The Historic Preservation Commission is meeting Wednesday.
The New York-based Galvan Foundation is not alone in seeking to invest in Cuyler-Brownville. The HPC’s agenda includes multiple petitions to rehabilitate residential properties in the historic neighborhood. Ward Architecture + Preservation is petitioning for three of the six proposed rehabs. The properties Ward is proposing to rehab are historic homes at 606 West 42nd St., 620 West 42nd St. and 634 West 42nd St. (This article has been updated to correct the address of 606 West 42nd St.)
The PIP Group is also proposing to rehab a historic 2-story residential building at 724 West Victory Drive and a neighboring fire damaged historic home, while Eco Friendly Construction is petitioning for after-the-fact approval for completed renovations of a historic home at 823 West 39th St.
The Tybee City Council is meeting Thursday
The agenda includes a US Army Corps of Engineers presentation of a ship wake study, which includes recommendations for preventing large wake events on North Beach or for warning beachgoers that a large wake is coming.
Commercial cargo ships and tankers passing Tybee occasionally generate hazardous wake events on North Beach. During these events, the water recedes from the beach for 1 to 2 minutes (drawdown) before rapidly flooding the beach (uprush), according to the study. However, the study found that many commercial vessels generate negligible drawdown and uprush, and it is challenging for lifeguards to warn beachgoers about the ship wake hazard when they do not know in advance whether a passing ship will generate a large wake event.
The corps recommendations include:
- reducing vessel speeds
- refurbishing the south jetty
- installing nearshore breakwaters
- active warning system
Patience may be in order. Most of the recommendations require further study before being implemented, while reducing vessel speeds would require coordination with the US Coast Guard, the Georgia Ports Authority and other local regulatory agencies. And the jetty plan has an estimated cost of between $53 million and $90 million, so … TSPLOST anyone?
Short-term rental ordinance discussion
The city attorney will also present for discussion purposes an amendment to the short-term rental ordinance. The amendment would allow property owners to apply for a STR permit if they held a valid building permit for a property they intended to be used as an STR prior to adoption of a Aug. 26, 2021 moratorium prohibiting the issuance of new permits.
The Savannah Zoning Board of Appeals is meeting Thursday.
The agenda is now available to view. (updated Jan. 24). The agenda includes a petition from Andrew Jones, as an agent for Anna Habersham Wright, to appeal the Historic District Board of Review’s approval last September of the design of a proposed 3-story home at 336 Barnard St.
The Savannah City Council is meeting Thursday.
The agenda includes a proposed amendment to the city’s alcohol ordinance to “strengthen the City’s licensing and enforcement process” and conform local regulations with state law.
The proposed updates include allowing restaurants to sell liquor drinks with a takeout meal and package and grocery stores to hold alcohol tastings. Staff is also recommending that the city prohibit the home delivery of alcohol and not align the city ordinance with a recent state law change that allows such deliveries. In addition, new requirements, including a “transitional license”, for restaurants that transition into bars and cease serving food are up for consideration.
If approved, the changes are expected to go into effect in April after a series of information sessisons are held for city employees and stakeholders, according to a city presentation.
The Chatham County Commission is meeting Friday.
The agenda is now available (updated Jan. 25). The agenda includes the proposed use of $4.6 million in contingency funds for the reconstruction of the Hutchinson Island bulkhead near the Savannah Convention Center, following the collapse of a portion of the riverwalk last summer.
The commission will also consider approval of an agreement between County and the Mighty Eighth Museum clarifying roles and responsibilities for the museum’s expansion and use of SPLOST 2020-2026 funds.
In addition, another contract increase for the Chatham County Courthouse construction project is going before the commission. The increase for additioanl scope of work adds $967,691 to the project.
The commission will also get a progress report on Fire Fee Billing and Collections.
In case you missed them, here are some stories from last week
Two Tides Brewery owner’s zoning request approved for Midtown diner
The owner of a local microbrewery got the initial OK on Tuesday after unveiling plans to open a diner at 1401 Paulsen St., where a former laundromat has been sitting boarded up and vacant for years.
The Metropolitan Planning Commission approved Two Tides Brewing owner Liz Massey’s petition to rezone the site in order to open the restaurant, while also supporting her request for a special-use permit to allow a microbrewery to operate at the location. The board’s vote is a recommendation only and the zoning change and permit will have to be approved by the Savannah City Council to go into effect. Read the full story>
Nonprofit’s plans for Cuyler-Brownville get go ahead from city
The Galvan Foundation plans to get started early this year with the development of single-family houses on three vacant lots on Lavinia Street, after the Savannah City Council approved the New York nonprofit’s plans last week to acquire city properties and build housing in Cuyler-Brownville.
“These are both projects and programs that are structured to be affordable to lower income residents and be affordable for people with housing choice vouchers, which we know is a challenge in Savannah for people to even find a place that will accept a voucher,” according to Galvan’s treasurer, Dan Kent.
#StayEngagedSavannah
[email-subscribers-form id=”1″]
If you enjoy Savanah Agenda, please consider sharing it with others via email or social media by clicking the icons below. Increasing readership is critical to the long-term success of this site.